


a single rose

by writinghost



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, M/M, Texting, just a small thing honestly, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 04:01:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14887241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writinghost/pseuds/writinghost
Summary: mark is tired but that doesn't stop donghyuck from finding him cute.





	a single rose

**Author's Note:**

> single rose - "simplicity" ([x](http://www.gouniqueandbeyondgiftgiving-ideas.com/flower-meanings-chart.html))

the thing is, mark was tired.

he had spent all night studying for his last exam, struggling to absorb as much as he could in hopes that it’d be enough for him to pass. neurology was hard enough already, but trying to study 4 months worth of classes in one single night made it even worse, almost impossible, actually.

studying while working wasn’t easy, especially when you’re a procrastinator. mark had already given up on trying to get good grades, hoping to at least pass all of his classes. truth be told, mark knew it was his fault. he had procrastinated and ignored all of the stress studying brought to him, only to leave it to the last night and make it a lot worse for himself.

it was always like this, too. he just could never learn his lesson.

at least he was done with uni for now. the school year was over – he could pack and go home, listen to some music while on the bus instead of trying to read over the powerpoints his friends had sent him. he could focus on his job, try and actually introduce himself to his co-workers, for once.

he was pretty sure he had failed the exam, but he honestly just didn’t have it in him to care. he was walking on ten hours of sleep, from the previous three days, eye bags deep and dark, as if they were a permanent feature on his face. his eyes droopy, begging him to sleep for more than twenty minutes at a time and to ignore all of his alarms and finally rest. his lips were pulled down in a frown and he was pretty sure that no matter how hard he brushed his teeth, nothing could fully clear up the smell of fast food and coffee off his breath. his forehead was wrinkly, his hair was fairly greasy and he had two big, red, ugly pimples on his face (one right in the center of his chin and the other next to his nose). he felt gross and tired, like he just couldn’t keep up. maybe he didn’t even want to, anymore.

walking around like that, mark couldn’t help but think that maybe uni wasn’t worth it, all this trouble so he could have a good future made him wonder if he even wanted to live his present. was it worth it, at all? mark didn’t know anymore. he quickly wiped away his thoughts, knowing fully well they were only inside his head due to the lack of sleep he was facing, and slightly shook his head at how easily he became negative when he was tired.

mark was on his way to the bus station, with his change already in his right pocket, along with his phone and a tissue. (as if lack of sleep wasn’t enough, his allergies had made the last few weeks almost unbearable.) he had his right earphone plugged in, listening to some random song that he didn’t pay much attention to, he was only listening to it so that he wouldn’t just fall asleep as he walked to his destination.

after what felt like years but was really only about five minutes or so, he arrived and was able to buy a ticket. seat number 29 it read; bus number 91 – 3pm. mark made sure to count in his head the numbers of the seats and their respective positions, and, surely enough, he was happy to realize that he had gotten the window seat, his favorite.

he rapidly checked his phone, noticing it was 2:56pm. he still had time to get another coffee, maybe even a little muffin from the vending machine he had been eyeing as he paid for his ticket.

he did so as he noticed another boy move to buy a ticket. mark didn’t mean to, but he overheard the talk and figured out the boy was buying a ticket for the same bus as him. great, he had to sit next to someone.

it wasn’t like mark disliked people, he didn’t actually mind it at all but he felt like shit and he was sure he looked like it too, plus he had thought about getting some sleep on the bus since it was quite a long ride, but now he was too scared he’d snore.

mark decided to ignore his thoughts, trying to stop himself from stressing out about something as small as the matter in hands, choosing to focus on the taste of the muffin he had picked up. after finishing it in three bites (one for the top, and two others to eat the bottom half), he took a sip of his coffee. it wasn’t too hot anymore, and it left a familiar yet disgusting taste in his mouth. he hated coffee. it was way too bitter for him, even when he added in two packs of sugar. it always left his tongue burning and he absolutely hated it.

looking up to check if his bus had already pulled over to its spot, mark noticed that the large vehicle was right about to park. he grabbed his luggage bags, making sure to put his ticket inside his left pocket, and walked. 2:59pm, right on time.

after giving the bus driver his ticket and putting away all his luggage, he hopped inside the bus. he then walked towards the middle of it in search of his seat, sliding in and sitting down when he found it. after propping his backpack on his knees, he got his phone out of his pocket to send his mother a message.

 

_We’re leaving now_

he changed the song playing to a more chilled one, closing his eyes for a bit until his phone buzzed.

 

_Ok. LY baby. <3_

he smiled at his mom’s text message, she always tried to keep up with trends and acronyms, even though mark himself didn’t use them. she also always made sure to send him a heart followed by the lion emoji.

after a few seconds, he noticed the boy from earlier walk towards his direction. sighing, he hoped he wouldn’t make small talk with him, mark was too tired to try and sound nice and interested.

 

* 

 

donghyuck quickly walked to his seat, number 30, he couldn’t wait to get to his next location. he was on his third stop from visiting the region by bus. his parents had told him riding buses throughout the whole country would be way too time consuming and a waste of money, so he had settled on visiting the nearest cities that he had never gone to before.

next year he’d be going off to uni and he wanted to have fun while he could, visit as much as he could. maybe even get some information about how the cities were so he’d choose an university with ease. so far, he had been quite interested in the city he was about to leave.

when he got to his seat, donghyuck noticed there was someone there already. it was a boy, his age, perhaps. his nose was red and his eyes were closed, head titled to the side, almost reaching the window. he had glasses on, circular ones that weren’t cleaned properly. he looked extremely tired but that didn’t stop donghyuck from noticing how cute he was. underneath the eye bags and the sad frown, the boy had sharp yet soft features, cheeks painted a brief pink, almost matching the shade that coloured his nose.

“hey, can i sit down?”

the boy opened his eyes, fixing his glasses in a small gesture, looked up at him with a confused expression on his face. “well that’s your seat isn’t it? of course you can.” donghyuck would think he was being rude, had it not been for how softly the words were murmured, like he was too tired to even speak. maybe he was.

donghyuck sat down next to the boy, getting out his earphones from the smaller pocket of his backpack and plugging them into his phone, then putting his songs on shuffle as he scrolled through twitter.

the boy had closed his eyes again, but donghyuck knew he was awake because he was moving his head to the beat of the song he was listening to, smiling at random occasions (not that donghyuck was staring, he just could see it through the side of his eyes).

the bus took off a few moments later and donghyuck texted his mother to let her know, he set his head back and closed his eyes, doing the same as the other boy.

 

* 

 

checking his phone for the time, donghyuck saw it was 3:58pm. still another two hours to go and his battery was at 85%, he was doing okay. he was glad he had charged his phone at the hotel before leaving. he checked his timeline for the third time during the ride, noticing he had a notification from jaemin liking one of his tweets. he was probably stalking him out of boredom like he always did.

he glanced at the boy, noticing how he had now stopped moving his head. his chapped lips were slightly parted and donghyuck was sure that if he took out one of his earbuds he’d be able to hear him snore. his nose was still red and his hands wrapped tightly around his phone. he looked peaceful.

donghyuck decided to message jaemin and ask what he was up to, in hopes that they could survive through their boredom together. he usually didn’t mind long bus rides but that was when he got to seat next to the window and look out at all the buildings.

jaemin was quick to reply and donghyuck knew he’d be okay. they were best friends, after all. they’d find a way to entertain each other.

 

*

 

turns out, half an hour later, all jaemin and donghyuck had talked about was how jaemin’s long time crush was going to the same party as jaemin, the next day. jaemin had asked him for advice on what to wear and donghyuck had told him he’d rock whatever he picked. donghyuck still got 5 different outfit selfies to choose from, though. (he ended up picking the one where jaemin was wearing black skinny jeans with a pastel pink shirt, his left hand posing an awkward V sign)

donghyuck glanced out of the window, staring at the view. it was mindblowing to him that no matter how much he traveled he’d never be able to see all of the world. he sighed, smiling at a little kid who had licked her ice cream but still, somehow, gotten it on her nose.

a few seconds later, and the bus had to take a harsh left. donghyuck didn’t know how to drive but he was sure that it was possible to do so in a calmer way. with the sudden movement, the sleeping boy next to him moved his head to the right, resting it on donghyuck’s shoulder.

donghyuck didn’t know what to do. should he move him back? should he let him stay there? he quickly sent a message to jaemin, asking for help, and cussing him out when he didn’t reply right away. donghyuck decided that he’d try to move the boy, just in case.

he slowly reached up with his right hand, trying not to move too much so he wouldn’t wake him up, and carefully grabbed his head by his cheek, moving it to tilt it to the left, against the window. the boy grunted in his sleep at this, and donghyuck sighed, stopping for a second before he could try it again.

when he was about to, his phone buzzed. it was jaemin asking him if the guy was cute. he gave up on trying to move the boy away for a bit, focusing on his phone.

 

_well… yeah ig_

_then don’t??_

_but isn’t it weird to let a stranger sleep on ur shoulder_

_not when theyre cute!!!!_

_maybe so…_

_he does look cute AND peaceful_

_so then let him be_

_maybe u can wake him up later and like._

_give him ur number or something_

_maybe_

_so anyways_

_why did u take so long to answer?_

 

*

 

talking to jaemin surely was entertaining, it seemed, because an hour had gone by and donghyuck hadn’t seem to realize. the boy was still sleeping, his quiet snores now heard from the proximity of his mouth to donghyuck’s neck. his left hand was somehow resting on donghyuck’s left thigh, while his right hand grabbed his phone.

donghyuck smiled at the view as he soon noticed that the boy’s right hand had opened, his phone almost falling out of his lap. in a quick yet careful move, he caught it in the right moment. he wasn’t sure what came over him when he unlocked it, though (who even had a phone without a password these days?). sighing, he wondered what he was doing as his fingers moved to the contacts list of the boy, typing out his number. he chuckled at his contact name and made sure to give himself a quick call before setting down the phone on the boy’s lap, making sure to put it in place where it wouldn’t be at risk of falling down.

for a few seconds he contemplated telling jaemin about it, deciding on doing it even if he knew that he’d make fun of donghyuck for it. he blamed it on being bored and wanting to talk about something, but really donghyuck just wanted jaemin to tell him if he was crazy for doing it or not.

 

_u ARE crazy hyuck_

_but since hes cute ure forgiven_

 

soon enough, the bus came to a stop and donghyuck wondered if he should wake up the boy or not. he thought about how he had had the courage to give his number to a complete stranger who was sleeping, and realized that waking up the boy wouldn’t be as bad in comparison.

“hey…” he shook him carefully. “hey, wake up. the bus stopped.”

the guy’s eyes fluttered open, confused and sleepy. “w-what?” the boy looked at him, noticing that his head was on his shoulder, and retreating it back with a slight blush to his cheeks, eyes now looking down in shame.

donghyuck gave him a warm, reassuring smile, trying not to think of how his shoulder now felt cold. “the bus stopped, i thought i should tell you in case this is where you leave.”

eyes wide, the boy checked his phone for the time, muttering a small “oh.” his hands came up to rub at his eyes in a cute, sleepy way. “thanks.”

“it’s okay.” donghyuck glanced at the bus, realizing how empty it looked now that a lot of people had left. “i have to go, is this your stop?”

the boy shook his head, “no. but thank you anyway.”

donghyuck felt a little disappointed but tried not to show it. “i’m donghyuck, by the way. you should stay awake until your actual stop. and you should be more careful with your phone.” at this, he got up, leaving a dumbfounded cute guy, with his wide eyes and his rosy cheeks behind.

 

*

 

“what? wait!” mark sighed as he saw the boy get out of the bus and shook his head. he checked his phone to make sure all his accounts were safe and they were indeed. he was confused as to what had happened. he had been sleeping on the boy’s – donghyuck’s shoulder (for how long? why hadn’t the guy moved him? or woken him up?) and he had just left mark behind after telling him to be careful with his phone.

he was weirded out, to say the least. but as the bus pulled out of the parking lot and he saw donghyuck at the vending machine getting food, he was mostly disappointed (at what, though, he didn’t know).

another hour to go until he got home and he really couldn’t wait. he changed his song to one that would for sure keep him awake as he thought about the stranger – donghyuck.

he was sure he was never going to see him again, and he was mad at himself for not apologizing to him for sleeping on his shoulder, and for not telling him his name. he was also disappointed (he had figured it out while he was thinking) about it, about not asking him for his number, about looking gross when he met him.

twenty minutes left until he got home and his phone buzzed. he was sure his mind was playing tricks on him due to the lack of sleep, because his screen read one of the weirdest messages he had ever gotten, from someone called “ _best_ _big spoon_ ” followed by a heart and a sun emoji.

 

_i hope u didn’t fall asleep again_

in the time mark took to reread the message and the contact name again and again, the person messaged him once more.

 

_u did didn’t u…_

_No…._

_Who are you?_

_i cant believe uve already forgotten about me_

_u were just sleeping in my arms_

mark scoffed at the text, feeling his cheeks warm up for some reason.

_Ok. Wait a sec_

_You’re Donghyuck, right?_

_yes_

_i never got ur name :-(_

_I wasn’t sleeping in your arms_

_so ure not gonna tell me ur name then?_

_You’re teasing me_

_Do you think you deserve it?_

_yeah!!_

_iI was the best spoon the world could ever have_

_u slept like an angel :-)_

_all thanks to me!!!_

_Actually, it was because I was super tired_

_But….fine_

_I’m mark_

_so… wasn’t i comfortable??_

_Wait._

_How did you even get my number?_

_uhhh….._

_when u were sleeping ur phone almost fell_

_i just. gave u my number and gave myself a call_

_do u like the contact name :-)_

_That’s creepy, Donghyuck_

_not when it’s a cute guy!_

_and u should get a password btw_

_So I’m cute?_

_well yeah_

_u need a shower tho_

_nd sleep_

_That’s not very nice_

_But yeah I do, uni’s been killing me_

_its true!!!!_

_lucky me then i don’t have uni :-_ _)_

_Luck you, indeed_

_and lucky u that i was such a good big spoon huh :-)_

_I literally just slept on your shoulder_

_Which, by the way, I apologize for_

_But anyway, that’s not cuddling_

the replies stopped for a second and mark wondered if this was all real. an all nighter, followed by a very much so failed exam, falling asleep on a pretty boy’s shoulder and getting his number. it all felt unreal, maybe his lack of sleep was worse than he thought and he had imagined the whole thing.

the buzz of his phone stopped his thoughts and he smiled right away, the pink on his cheeks feeling like a permanent feature.

_about the cuddling..._

_we could change that :-)_

 

**Author's Note:**

> aaaaah i hope yall like this!!! its just a short thing that ive had in my head for a while bc when i ride buses im always scared of falling asleep kdjsfjkdjk the beggining turned out a lil angsty bc i was stressed abt my own neurology exam when i wrote this!!! so sorry for that (ive had this done for a while but i cldnt upload it bc, long story short, ao3 decided to suspend my acc lol)
> 
> thank u so much to rebecca btw who oh so kindly beta'd this even tho she doesnt rlly /stan/ nct - i love u uwu
> 
> as always, bookmarks, kudos nd comments are appreciated!!


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